God loved the nation of Israel. They were His chosen people and God desired them to become a “special treasure…a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exodus 19:5-6). In order to establish them as a nation, God gave His Law to Moses and expected the people to obey. Although Israel agreed to obey God’s Law (Exodus 24:7), they quickly broke the covenant by worshiping a golden calf (Exodus 32) which resulted in God withdrawing His presence from the Israelites (Exodus 33:1-6). Moses begged God not to remove His presence, so the Lord honored Moses’ request and promised to accompany Israel on their journey to Canaan (Exodus 33:7-23). After granting His forgiveness, the Lord commanded Moses to cut two tablets of stone so that the Law could be written again (34:1). Moses then brought the stone tablets to Mount Sinai where the Lord descended in a cloud to meet with him (34:2-5). This second encounter between God and Moses lasted 40 days and during this time the Law was renewed. Upon his arrival on the mountain the Lord declared to Moses, “The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children to the third and the fourth generation” (34:6-7). When Moses heard these words he bowed in worship saying, “If now I have found grace in Your sight, O Lord, let my Lord, I pray, go among us, even though we are a stiff-necked people; and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us as Your inheritance” (34:8-9).
God responded to Moses’ prayer and promised to renew the covenant between Himself and the nation of Israel (34:10). As a part of this covenant, God promised to drive their enemies out of the land, but the Israelites were not to make any covenants with pagan nations (34:12). Making a covenant with a pagan nation would bring judgment on Israel. Rather than adapting to the idolatrous culture of the pagans, Israel was to “…destroy their altars, break their sacred pillars, and cut down their wooden images” (34:13). These actions would ensure that Israel would not engage in worship of other gods (34:13-17). The Lord also reminded them to keep the religious ordinances such as the Feast of Unleavened Bread (34:18-20, 25), the Sabbath Day (34:21), the Feast of Weeks (34:22a, 26), and the Feast of Ingathering (34:22b). The three feasts were to be celebrated each year (34:23) and God promised to protect their land while Israel was observing these feasts (34:24). The covenant was given to Moses and he wrote it on the stone tablets as he met with the Lord 40 days and 40 nights (34:27-28).
After receiving the covenant from the Lord, Moses descended from the mountain and his face was shining because he had been in the presence of God (34:29). Moses did not know his face was glowing but when he approached Aaron and the children of Israel, they were afraid to come near to him (34:30). Moses then called for the people to come near him and he talked with them and declared the commandments that the Lord had spoken to him on Mount Sinai (34:31-32). Moses later became aware of the glow on his face because he covered it with a veil. When Moses spoke with the people he put the veil on his face, but when he spoke with God he removed the veil (34:33-34). Time in the presence of God changed the countenance of Moses and was also a visible reminder that Moses had spent time with God.
Dear God, may time spent with You change me so that others would know that I’ve been in Your presence.
